PgMP study plan
PgMP · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Strategic Program Management & Program Life Cycle
Map each of the five PgMP domains to its task areas and its 20% exam weighting in a written outline
Define strategic alignment, program charter, and program roadmap in your own words and contrast them with project-level equivalents
Draft a one-page comparison of program, project, and portfolio management across scope, change, and success criteria
Build a 40-term flashcard set drawn from Domains 1 and 2
Your checkpoint
A 2-page domain map plus a 40-card flashcard deck covering Domains 1 and 2, self-quizzed once with a logged score
Program Life Cycle
Sequence the program life cycle phases and record at least four key outputs for each phase
Explain phase-gate entry and exit criteria and how a gate decision differs from a stage review
Describe how benefits realization planning is initiated during program definition and carried into delivery
Answer 30 practice questions on program life cycle and score the set
Your checkpoint
A phase-by-phase output table (5 phases, 4+ outputs each) plus a 30-question practice set scored at 70% or higher
Benefits Management
Construct a benefits register template with components, owners, metrics, and target dates
Distinguish benefit, outcome, and value, and write three worked examples of each from a single case scenario
Trace the benefits realization lifecycle from identification through sustainment and transition
Calculate benefit-cost and ROI figures for a sample program and interpret the results
Your checkpoint
A completed benefits register template plus a 1-page benefits realization plan applied to one worked scenario
Benefits Management & Stakeholder Management
Analyze how benefit sustainment depends on transition planning and operational ownership
Identify stakeholder categories and select an engagement approach for each in a written matrix
Build a stakeholder engagement matrix covering influence, interest, and engagement level
Answer 40 mixed practice questions across Domains 3 and 4
Your checkpoint
A stakeholder engagement matrix with at least 10 named roles plus a 40-question practice set scored at 70% or higher
Stakeholder Management
Draft a program communications plan specifying audience, channel, frequency, and sender for each stakeholder group
Describe techniques for managing conflicting stakeholder expectations and record three worked responses
Explain how stakeholder engagement is monitored and adjusted across the program life cycle
Complete 30 practice questions on stakeholder management
Your checkpoint
A one-page communications plan with 6+ stakeholder groups plus a 30-question practice set scored at 75% or higher
Governance
Outline the governance structure of a program including board composition, decision rights, and escalation paths
List the components of a program management plan and describe how each is approved and baselined
Explain how governance assures benefits delivery through audits, reviews, and stage gates
Answer 35 practice questions on program governance
Your checkpoint
A governance structure diagram with decision rights and escalation thresholds plus a 35-question practice set scored at 75% or higher
Governance & Strategic Program Management
Integrate governance controls with strategic alignment to show how program changes are approved against strategy
Complete a full-length 170-question timed mock exam under exam conditions
Categorize every missed mock question by domain and root cause (knowledge gap, misread, or process confusion)
Review the top three weakest task areas identified by the mock exam
Your checkpoint
A scored full mock exam with a written error log listing every missed question by domain and root cause
Strategic Program Management & Program Life Cycle & Benefits Management & Stakeholder Management & Governance
Re-drill the highest-miss task areas flagged in the week 7 error log until each is explained aloud without notes
Rewrite your weakest 50 flashcards into scenario-style questions and answer them
Complete a second full-length timed mock exam
Confirm a 10-point or better improvement over mock one and document any remaining gaps
Your checkpoint
A second scored full mock exam showing at least a 10-point gain plus a final one-page gap summary with remediation notes
Milestones
Week 2: Domain 1 and Domain 2 terminology recalled from memory: 40-card deck self-quiz at 80% or higher, and the 30-question life cycle set at 70% or higher
Week 4: Benefits register and stakeholder engagement matrix both complete and peer-reviewed or self-audited against a checklist; 40-question mixed set at 70% or higher
Week 6: Governance diagram and decision-rights table finished; average practice score across Domains 3, 4, and 5 at 75% or higher
Week 8: Second full mock exam scored with a 10-point or greater improvement over the week 7 mock, and every missed question logged with a root cause